Wireless Charging Furniture

Now listen carefully because this could be a thing. It’s wireless charging furniture. And it’s from Ikea so you know (because we might as well clear that up from the start) that it will be affordable.

The range, which launches in April, includes floor and desk lamps, bedside tables as well as a selection of charging pads that will take two phones at once. There’s also a wireless charger that you can fit wherever you need if you don’t like the furniture.

How does it work? Well I haven’t seen one yet as there aren’t even samples for press loans until they’re in store, but apparently you just put your phone on the + sign and that’s it.  It’s a fantastic way to get rid of all those cables that are cluttering up our kitchens and our lives. As I write, there is a long computer cable stretching across the floor that the cat occasionally attacks. There is a tangled pile of phone chargers in a dish in the kitchen and another knotty mess by the bed.

Ikea says: “We wanted to make charging a natural part of your home, so we chose side tables and lamps – the kind of furniture that’s used frequently – and turned them into wireless chargers. Not only do they make your home more beautiful, they make it easier to charge wherever you are. Now you can have a charger that helps you read the Sunday crossword.

“Another great benefit?Chances are you’ll never lose a wireless charging lamp.”

The table, Selje, costs £50 and works equally well beside the bed or in the hall. Or you might prefer the Nordli which is taller and squarer. For some reason the pictures are so secret I’m only allowed to use the ones you see here which don’t really show the furniture properly. But it’s the standard white Ikea design, you’ll recognise it when you see it.

The floor lamp, which you can see in the picture above, will retail at £85 and the table light at £50. There’s also a rather good task light, Riggad for £49, which is a bit more angular and modern than those.

Finally, there’s a charger that will fit into the cable holes of some Ikea desks but if you don’t have one of those (or don’t want one) then they will sell you the drill bit so you can make the right size hole in the furniture of your choice.

The other thing to bear in mind is that some phones will charge automatically when placed on the +sign. Others will need to go in a cover. You’ll need to check that when it comes out.

That + sign is pretty discreet, I don’t think it would offend me in an office or by the bed and it’s just the start. If this takes off then I’m sure the range of furniture and lights will increase so that we will all be expecting wireless charging wherever we are.

What do you think?